Remember the lady who complained at me because I gave my toddler V8 to drink? Well, I saw her again yesterday afternoon… and guess what she was doing? Taking a six (or so) year old kid into McDonalds! Welcome to the hypocrisy club! Anyway, here are some personal finance posts.

5 Different Ways To Build An Emergency Fund No, a credit card is not a good emergency fund, but there are some interesting and good alternatives here. (@ the digerati life)

Preparing Financially To Go Solo This is a nice guide to some of the preparations you need to quit your job and become self-employed. (@ queercents)

Are Car Manufacturers Compromising On Safety In Favor Of Style? – The Story Of Poor Bumper Design This popped up on one of my favorite personal finance blogs. Look, I can walk up to most new cars, give the bumper a firm push, and note that it has a lot of give to it – that makes me uncomfortable. I drive a truck with a massive bumper on it and I’ve bumped into things with nary a scratch. Yes, again, in my eyes, plastic cars are awful. (@ money, matter, and more musings)

The Simple Dollar Retro: Explaining Simple Interest, Compound Interest, APR, and APY This post was one of the first I wrote that was directly requested by a reader – she wanted me to explain the difference between APR and APY, so I went all the way back to the basics and built it up from scratch.